Ferguson, UCD Set Irish Records in Bangor

Fifteen year old Conor Ferguson set himself up for a great weekend of racing setting a new Irish Junior Record in the 50m Backstroke Final, tonight’s first event at the Dave McCullagh Memorial Meet/Swim Ulster International in Bangor. Ferguson’s time of 26.11 broke Karl Burdis’ 2008 Record of 26.19. The Larne swimmer now holds the 50m and 200m Backstroke records with the 100m record surely under threat tomorrow. Bangor Performance Centre swimmer Jordan Sloan won the event in 25.88 seconds.

Seamus Stacey, Jack Keogh, Alex Melennec and David Prendergast teamed up to set a new Irish Senior Club Record in the 4x100m Relay Final. Their combined time of 3:28.75 broke the previous record of 3:29.24 held by NUIM Devils since 2009, Stacey was also part of the Devils team in 2009.

Ards ladies were also in record form setting a new Ulster Senior Record in the 4x200m Freestyle Relay, their time of 8:44.91 held off Aer Lingus (8:58.10) and Limerick (9:03.75).

Edinburgh’s Lucy Hope won the women’s 50m Backstroke Final in a time of 30.05 seconds with Galway’s Kate Kavanagh second in 30.13 and Iseult Hayes (Sundays Well) third in 30.22.

Brendan Hyland cruised to victory in the 200m Butterfly Final. The Irish Record holder in the event had four seconds to spare over second place Andrew Meegan (2:04.29) touching in 1:59.92. Hyland’s Tallaght and Swim Ireland NAC Performance Centre team mate Clodagh Flood was the first Irish swimmer to touch in the women’s event in 2:19.30, she was beaten to Gold by Scotland’s Emily Nisbet in 2:18.44. Earlier today both Antoinette Neamt (Tallaght & NAC PC) and Ellen Walsh (Templeogue) made qualification times for the European Youth Olympic Festival (EYOF) in the event.

Bethany Firth picked up her first medal of the weekend with a win in the 100m Freestyle. The 19 year old Ards swimmer hit the wall in 56.94 seconds to claim Gold ahead of visitors Natasha Hofton (57.66) and Hayley Monteith (57.70). In the men’s event Matthew Parks of University of Stirling took Gold in 51.02 while Curtis Coulter was the first Irish swimmer home placing third in 51.47.

2014 Commonwealth Games Gold Medallist Ross Murdoch, who is in Bangor with the University of Stirling, won the men’s 100m Breaststroke in 1 minute 01.40 seconds, UCD’s Alex Murphy took Silver in 1:02.20 with Nicholas Quinn of Castlebar 3rd in 1:02.44. University of Edinburgh’s Olivia White won the women’s event in 1:11.85 while Tallaght’s Niamh Coyne went under the EYOF qualification time this morning in the event in 1:14.83.

Brendan Gibbons had almost 10 seconds to spare in the men’s 1500m Freestyle Final. Gibbons of Athlone SC finished in 15:05.77, with UL Sport Performance Centre swimmer Ethan O’Brien second in 16:14.35 and Bangor’s Jack McMillan third (16:31.54).

Shani Stallard took the night’s final individual Gold medal with a win in the 400m Individual Medley, the UCD swimmer touched in 4:58.54 ahead of Galway’s Aoife Shorten (5:03.71) while Ards’ Rebecca Reid met the EYOF Qualification time in 5:09.97.

Competition continues tomorrow. Press Releases will be issue daily.

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Full Results Day 1
Men 50m Backstroke Final: 1st J Sloan Bangor 25.88 2nd C Ferguson Larne 26.11 IJR 3rd R McEvoy Ennis 27.03
Women 50m Backstroke Final: 1st L Hope UofE 30.05 2nd K Kavanagh Galway 30.13 3rd I Hayes Sundays Well 30.22
Men 100m Freestyle Final: 1st K McGuickin UofE 51.02 2nd M Parks EEUX 51.45 3rd C Coulter Ards 51.47
Women 100m Freestyle Final: 1st B Firth Ards 56.94 2nd N Hofton UofS 57.66 3rd H Monteith Uof E 57.70
Men 200m Butterfly Final: 1st B Hyland Tallaght 1:59.92 2nd A Meegan Aer Lingus 2:04.29 3rd J Brown Ards 2:05.89
Women 200m Butterfly Final: 1st E Nisbet Scotland Youth 2:18.44 2nd C Flood Tallaght 2:19.30 3rd S Kelly Claremorris 2:20.53
Men 100m Breaststroke Final: 1st R Murdoch Uni of Stirling 1:01.40 2nd A Murphy UCD 1:02.20 3rd N Quinn Castlebar 1:02.44
Women 100m Breaststroke Final: 1st O White Uni of Edinburgh 1:11.85 2nd E Crawford Scotland Youth 1:12.17 3rd H Monteith Uni of Edinburgh 1:12.66
Men 1500m Freestyle Final: 1st B Gibbons Athlone 16:05.77 2nd E O’Brien Limerick 16:14.35 3rd J McMillan Bangor 16:31.54
Women 400m IM Final: 1st S Stallard UCD 4:58.54 2nd A Shorten Galway 5:03.71 3rd E Duthie Scotland 5:04.35.
Men 4x100m Freestyle Team Relay: 1st UCD 3:28.75 ISR 2nd Bangor 3:32.59 3rd Ards 3:33.09
Women 4x200m Freestyle Team Relay: 1st Ards 8:44.91 2nd Aer Lingus 8:58.10 3rd Limerick 9:03.75

Qualification Times Met (selection of athletes for all events will be made at a later date)

European Games, 23rd – 27th June 2015, Baku, Azerbaijan
Rachel Bethel, Emma Reid, Danielle Hill, Niamh Kilgallen, James Brown

World University Games, 4th – 11th July 2015, Gwangju, South Korea
Qualifiers: Sycerika McMahon, Fiona Doyle, Christopher Bryan (10K Open Water)

European Youth Olympic Festival, 26th July – 1st August 2015, Tbilisi, Georgia
Today’s Qualifiers: Antoinette Neamt (200m Butterfly), Niamh Coyne (100m Breaststroke), Ellen Walsh (200m Butterfly), Rebecca Reid (400m IM)

FINA World Swimming & Open Water Championships, 25th July – 9th August 2015, Kazan, Russia
Qualifiers: Sycerika McMahon (50m Breaststroke), Fiona Doyle (50m, 100m, 200m Breaststroke), Christopher Bryan (10K Open Water)